16/08/2026
Your first impression of this dainty, perfectly formed white flower might simply be beautiful.
But shrink yourself down to insect size and you’d see this plant in a very different light — an insect-eating monster!
This is Drosera aberrans, the scented sundew, and I’m completely mesmerised by its Jekyll-and-Hyde personality: perfectly pure and delicate above ground, but a ravenous trap underneath.
They’re putting on a spectacular display on the farm at the moment — one of the little signs that early spring has arrived.
The bees are too big to become a meal and can safely visit the flowers to pollinate them. But for tiny flies, gnats, ants and midges, those glistening, sticky leaf tentacles are a very different story. Once an unsuspecting insect brushes against them, it can become a rather succulent little meal.